


Azure and Alabaster

by rosamynal



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Fluff, Light Angst, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosamynal/pseuds/rosamynal
Summary: After a lifetime of waiting, the Warrior of Light finally meets her soulmate in college.
Relationships: G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16
Collections: May-U Fic Exchange 2020





	Azure and Alabaster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Orderly_Chaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orderly_Chaos/gifts).



Ever since she was little, her only wish was to find her soulmate. Whenever she met someone new, her ears  _ strained _ to hear that tell-tale crystal chiming that served as the first sign that she had found  _ Them _ . Even when that did not come, she searched every ilm of her body for a sign of the mark that would definitively prove she had discovered her soulmate. 

She came up empty-handed every time.

Her parents assured her she would eventually find  _ Them _ . Of course,  _ they _ were soulmates themselves; they had nothing to worry about. It wasn’t that she was eager to marry or even date. She knew deep down that her soulmate wouldn't necessarily be the person she would marry--two of her childhood friends, Alphinaud and Alisaie, were twins  _ and _ soulmates, much to Alphinaud's eternal dismay. It was more so that she wanted to know who it would be. 

And then she went to college. 

Orientation was as busy as she had expected it to be. Speaker after speaker addressed the crowd of new students sitting in the lecture hall, informing them of the university’s history, prestige, and various programs--as if any of the applicants didn’t already know. 

While one overly-enthusiastic Wildwood woman led the group in the school’s favorite chant, a strange chime  _ hummed _ in her right ear. She tugged on it and rubbed a knuckle against it, hoping to make the annoying high-pitched noise go away. The skin on her left hand itched as the sound only intensified. It came to a sudden stop with a sound like shattering crystals. She heaved a sigh of relief, only to realize someone was standing beside her. 

The woman looked up to find a male Seeker of the Sun standing in the aisle next to her seat. The man’s ears were flattened back against his red hair while his mismatched cyan and red eyes were narrowed as if in pain. His expression relaxed and his ears slowly raised as the echoing died down in her own ears. 

She gasped, realizing what had just happened. The Miqo’te apparently had a similar reaction, judging by how his ears shot straight up and his tail grew still behind him. His left hand strayed to scratch the back of his right as they locked eyes.

“You’re my…”

“We’re…”

The unspoken word hung in the air between them. They stared into each other’s eyes, ignorant of the chanting and cheering students around them while the speaker continued. 

She hadn’t known what to expect. If she had been honest, she would have thought there’d be a rush of adrenaline--of  _ excitement _ . She supposed her heart would have pounded in her ears while butterflies stormed in her stomach and her hands shook like dry leaves in the wind. Instead, she felt  _ serene _ . Nothing else seemed to matter in that moment outside of focusing entirely on the person in front of her. Judging by the slow smile that curved his plump lips and the way even his ears seemed to hone in on her, the Seeker felt the same.

His cyan and red eyes darted to the empty seat beside her.

“Is anyone sitting there?”

“No! Please! Sit down!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how overeager she sounded. Immediately, she worried about the impression it would make on her newfound soulmate. He, however, practically leapt over her to claim his seat. 

“G’raha,” he said, thrusting his hand forward.

“Luz,” she replied and shook his hand.

They ignored the following speakers in favor of learning about each other in hushed whispers. G’raha--her  _ soulmate _ that she had finally found--confessed that the university hadn’t been his first pick. It hadn’t been hers either, but had been the one to offer the most money. 

“Exactly!” he shouted, only to be glared at by those around them. He lowered his voice to explain, “Exactly. They’re practically  _ paying _ me to come here. And although their Allagan program isn’t as robust as Garlemald’s, it's nothing to sneeze at, either.”

She let out a low whistle.

“You’re going to try getting into the Allagan Studies program? Are you already on the waiting list? I’ve heard people have to reserve their spots at least four years in advance.”

“Nope,” he admitted with a confident smirk. “But they’ll practically  _ beg _ me to join once they realize I’m a natural.”

She snorted at his declaration. His ears flattened in annoyance, giving the impression he had been doused with water. G’raha crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. She noticed him rubbing the knuckles of his right hand against the fabric of his t-shirt. Come to think of it, her entire left arm was itching for some reason.

“Well alright,  _ soulmate _ . What’s your great plan? Which program do you have  _ your _ sights set on?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” she confessed with a small shrug. “The Engineering department here apparently rivals the one in Garlemald, but there’s something to be said for Ancient Histories. I’ve heard the professor who heads the program is  _ amazing,  _ if a bit strict. Of course, the medical school is the best on the planet. I may just major in one of the sciences and aim for that.”

As she listed possibilities, the red-haired Miqo’te’s jaw slowly lowered until he stared at her with his mouth agape. The woman smiled at him and gently lifted his jaw with a finger under his chin. He recovered with a shake of his head.

“Those are all so different!” he hissed, glancing around to make sure he hadn’t drawn anyone’s ire again. “How have you not made a choice yet?”

“Your first two years are basically spent fulfilling general requirements, right?” she countered. “I’ll figure it out by then.”

The president of the university interrupted their conversation by adjourning them for lunch. They were to meet in one of the other buildings in two hours so they could sign up for their first semester classes. She beamed at G’raha. 

“Are you living in one of the dorms? Want to grab lunch together?”

“Yes to both,” he replied. “I’m staying in Coinach A.”

“I think that’s right next to me! I’m in Baldesion. Do you have everything set up?”

He admitted that he didn’t as they hurried out of the lecture hall and tried to beat the other new students to the dining hall. 

Meeting him was everything she could have hoped for. G’raha had also been waiting his entire life to find her. He had started to grow despondent, thinking that perhaps he was one of the unlucky ones whose soulmate had either died before they could meet or lived on the other side of the planet. Unlike her--who was still undecided-- he had chosen at a young age that he wanted to focus on learning more about Allag and their lost culture. 

The itch spread down her left arm and persisted throughout the day. By the time she collapsed into her bed well after midnight (thanks to losing track of the time with G’raha), the woman noticed the skin on her left arm had paled to an alabaster white decorated with gold filigree. She stared at it in shock. A high squeal rose in her throat as the realization of what it was slowly dawned on her. She cried out with glee, hopping up and down on her bed.

A sharp pound on the wall froze her in place. Alisaie’s annoyed voice soon followed.

“Will you  _ stop _ ?! I’m glad you finally found your soulmate and all but some of us have to  _ sleep _ !”

She apologized to her old friend and roommate through the shared wall. The rest of her excitement was muffled by her pillow.

College was amazing. Not only had she found her soulmate on the first day, but they quickly became close friends. Mirroring her own mark, his right arm had turned azure blue with the same gold filigree. As the days and months passed, they discovered that they understood each other near-perfectly. However, that wasn’t to say their friendship wasn’t without its arguments. 

More than once, their disagreements grew heated enough that Krile--an old friend of G’raha’s--had to step in and send each to their proverbial rooms to cool down. If that wasn’t enough, then Haurchefant--an Elezen she had met and become even  _ quicker _ friends with--would physically step in to separate the arguing pair. The longest she ever spent upset with the red-headed Miqo’te was about two weeks after which they both spent hours complaining about how difficult their finals had been as if nothing had ever happened.

Of course, her budding friendships weren't the only thing that made college amazing. After the first year, she set her sights on the biology program in the hopes of applying to the medical school. Over the winter break of their second year, G'raha suggested she apply for a work-study position. It was while working under Fufucha, her Botany professor from the previous semester, that she met  _ them  _ at a university function just before the winter break of her third year.

She recognized one of them as the Ancient Histories professor she had heard everyone talk about. Despite the shock of white in his otherwise dark hair, the man seemed younger than she would have imagined. The jovial white-haired man to his left she recognized as an adjunct professor from the Philosophy department. When G'raha, whom she had invited as her "plus one" stepped away to engage with an Engineering TA, she noticed the professors focus their pale golden eyes on her. The latter whispered something into the former's ear, making the brunet shrug his shoulder with a faint smirk.

The white-haired man approached and introduced himself simply as Hythlodaeus moments before G'raha returned. The three of them talked throughout the night and she found herself enjoying the young professor's smile--not to mention how the other professor (or Hades, as Hythlodaeus informed her) watched her from his place against the wall.

By the end of the night she had Hythlodaeus' number, despite G'raha's protests on her behalf. By the following afternoon, she realized the feelings the Seeker had developed for her--and what she felt for him.

They decided to give it a shot. She called Hythlodaeus to turn him down. Despite the news, the man's wide smile was evident in his voice. He told her to keep him in mind if things didn't work out with G'raha.

Things were bumpy at first. Going into their third year in college gave them little time to go on typical date outings. Their nights were usually reserved for studying their respective textbooks in far corners of the library or polishing up essays until the sun rose and shone on their bleary eyes. At least they were together, they consoled each other, holding their matching hands throughout the long nights and cuddling up for stolen naps between lectures.

Then came their final year. 

G’raha had talked about applying to a study abroad program, focused on visiting Allagan sites to study the relics as they were excavated. It was a joint effort between their university and the one in Garlemald. She urged him to apply, knowing full well that it would strain their relationship--she had to remain there, after all, since she was going to apply to medical school. He tried to convince her throughout the year to apply to one closer to the excavation site. She refused, asking why she would bother when the college associated with their university was one of the best and they already knew her through her work in the program?

It was their biggest fight yet. By their last semester, she accused him of only thinking of himself. He accused  _ her _ of never compromising. Neither Haurchefant nor Krile were able to calm them down. They stopped talking to each other, insistent that the  _ other _ had to apologize first. During their graduation, she made no effort to even search for her soulmate. 

She applied for medical school as soon as she could. 

When the letter arrived in the mail bearing the good news, her heart suddenly ached for the Seeker. He didn’t answer either her messages or her calls. When she tried to find some trace of him in the study abroad program’s website, she came up empty. It was as if he had vanished; her alabaster left arm was the only proof that he hadn’t been a figment of her imagination.

Five years passed. She threw herself into her work. 

She completed medical school and began her residency. On one of her off nights, she crossed paths with Hythlodaeus at a bar. The pair struck up a conversation that led to her pushing the taller man into a dark corner for a deep kiss she had never given to anyone--not even to G’raha while they were dating. A pressure at her back and a kiss to one side of her neck made her aware of Hades’ presence. She melted into him, much to Hythlodaeus’ delight.

They led her back to their lavish apartment on one of the upper floors of an apartment downtown. There, she discovered the pair were soulmates; their shared mark was an intricate sigil on the back of their necks. Hythlodaeus’ was white while Hades’ mark was a deep red. They were old friends and lovers--and had been seeking a third partner since they saw her at the party. She was unsure at first, but the white-haired man assured her that they could take it slowly. Hades suggested she take this--and  _ them-- _ one step at a time. It was enough to convince her.

With some effort, she managed to balance her budding relationship with the two men and her residency at the hospital. She moved in with the pair about three months after meeting them. Whenever she would get home from work--especially after her night shifts--the woman would find Hythlodaeus preparing breakfast for her and Hades ready to give her a massage. As the weeks and months passed, she found herself  _ enjoying _ their company.

Then came a stray question from Hades. 

“What ever happened to that cat friend of yours?” he asked as she lay curled up in his arms on the sofa. “Your soulmate, I mean.”

“We grew apart,” she replied simply. “He joined a study abroad program and I stayed here for medical school.”

“And you didn’t stay in touch?” Hythlodaeus asked, sitting so she was sandwiched between both men. She nestled into the warmth they exuded.

“I… tried. He never answered so I guess he wasn’t interested in making the effort.”

The men exchanged a look over her head. Hades tilted her chin up to gently kiss her on the lips.

“He was studying Allag, correct?” he asked and waited for her nod. “Let me reach out to some old colleagues of mine and see if they know where he is now. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a red-headed Seeker with a blue arm.”

Moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes at the thought of reconnecting with her soulmate. She hugged the lean brunet, gratitude spilling from her mouth as her tears seeped into the dark fabric of his turtleneck. His arms slowly wrapped around the woman to hold her close. His voice lowered as he gently hushed the weeping woman and rocked her in place.

Four months later, Hades sent her a text during the day asking her to meet at their favorite bar after her shift. By that afternoon, she was ready for a few drinks and the promise of spending the next day either in bed or on the sofa with Hades as they watched a movie marathon while eating Hythlodaeus' popcorn.

She walked into the dimly lit bar and scanned the room in search of Hythlodaeus' white hair. Instead, she saw a pair of red ears that pointed towards her and froze. She stared at a pair of mismatched eyes and the slack jaw beneath them. The woman hurried across the bar floor and embraced the Miqo'te sitting in the booth before he could move. G'raha tensed under her touch, but slowly relaxed. He returned her hug, pulling her onto the bench beside him.

They sat in silence. Without a word they slowly leaned forward until their foreheads touched. His tail curled up into his lap as the fingers on his blue hand entwined with those on her white one. Her free hand reached up to caress his cheek before softly tracing the curve of his jaw. She breathed in his scent, realizing she missed the smell of old books that always clung to him. He gently nudged her with his head and took a trembling breath.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I ruined everything."

The apology stabbed into her heart and drew tears from her eyes. She pulled away just enough to find his face damp with his own tears. The woman pressed a gentle kiss to each of his cheeks, wiping away the moisture there. 

“I’m sorry, too,” she confessed. “But nothing’s ruined; we can fix it.”

G’raha’s ears wiggled as he sniffled and rubbed the back of his hands against his eyes. His lips twitched into the confident smile she knew from their days at the university. 

“Can we?”

“Of course!”

The pair startled at the sudden voice. They looked up to find Hythlodaeus beaming at them while Hades stood beside his soulmate with his arms crossed. Dread dropped into her stomach like a lead weight when she saw her lovers. Both had made it very clear they were only willing to share her with each other--and no one else. The white-haired man spoke again before she could explain herself.

“You’re soulmates, aren’t you? Who to better understand you than your other half? If two soulmates can’t fix their relationship, then one wonders whether they were truly soulmates to begin with!”

“Wh-what?” she stammered while Hades slid into the booth. Hythlodaeus sat beside him, putting the pair opposite her and her soulmate.

“What’s not to understand?” Hades asked, fixing them with his cold, pale eyes. “We want you to be happy, my dear. Both of us saw how you reacted when I offered to find him for you. Take as much time as you need to patch things up with your soulmate.”

“W-wait, are you involved with them?” G’raha asked. “ _ Both _ of them?”

Heat spread across her face at the question, robbing the woman of her voice. She merely nodded in response while Hythlodaeus interceded.

“Correct, G’raha. The three of us are lovers. And  _ because _ we love our dearest, we wish for her to be happy.”

“Which means lending her to  _ you _ ,” Hades huffed.

“Lending?” snarled the Miqo’te. “She’s not something to be  _ lent _ .”

“No. Indeed, she is something you would throw away,” Hades pressed coolly. “You had the chance to spend the rest of your life with a wonderful woman and you let it slip through your fingers.”

G’raha growled and struck the table with his fist.

“I know! I know and I’ve regretted it every day these past five years!”

She froze at the shouted confession. Her blush only deepened when she realized everyone in the bar was staring at them in confusion. Hades smirked while Hythlodaeus chuckled into his hand.

“And there we have it. You can’t ask for a truer display,” the white-haired man noted quietly. “We’ll leave the two of you to your devices. Don’t worry about whatever decision you make, dearest. We aren’t going to kick you out if you decide to have another go at your soulmate.”

“We’ll simply be jealous,” Hades smirked.

The pair left her and G’raha alone in the booth while the Seeker turned a shade to match his hair. Hythlodaeus blew her a kiss just as they walked out of the bar and waved goodbye. She smiled after them.

“I  _ do _ love them,” she confessed, turning to face her blushing soulmate. “But I love you, too. I was serious when I said we could try and fix our relationship. I  _ want _ to give it another try, Raha.”

His ears slowly lifted from where they had lowered. He hesitantly met her gaze with a hopeful smile.

“Tell me what you’ve been up to,” she said and squeezed his blue hand with her white one. “Have you unraveled any of Allag’s great mysteries?”

“One or two, actually,” he admitted with a strangely sheepish smile. “Are you hungry? We can grab some dinner and you can tell me all your horror stories from medical school.”

She leapt up with a laugh and tugged the Seeker out of the booth by the hand.

“We’ll trade off on telling stories! Come on; we can go to the ol’ diner.”

“How is that place still open?” he asked as they walked out of the bar holding hands.

“Because people still go and eat. We were there all the time, remember?”

“I remember going just so we could eat something greasy so we wouldn’t be hungover the next day.”

“Right! You think that’s stopped? Students are continuing the time-honored tradition of getting wasted and then stuffing their faces with enough grease to kill a Roegadyn.”

On their way down the street, she leaned into the Mito’te’s arm and stroked the soft skin between his thumb and forefinger. His red tail reached over to tuck against her leg as they walked. She knew in her heart there was a chance to recover what they had lost five years ago. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was willing to work for it.

She only hoped G’raha was too.


End file.
